Pregnancy causes alterations in bile compositions and, an increased incidence of cholelithiasis and the complications related to it. This often requires endoscopic interventions such as endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), but the radiation exposure during the ERCP may be harmful to the fetus. We report here on a case of successful ERCP and therapeutic endoscopic intervention without fluoroscopic guidance for a pregnant woman with common bile duct stone that was complicating her biliary pancreatitis.
Bile ; Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde ; Cholelithiasis ; Common Bile Duct ; Female ; Fetus ; Humans ; Incidence ; Pancreatitis ; Pregnancy ; Pregnant Women

For a potentially malignant lymphadenopathy, it is clinically important to distinguish between metastasis of a primary tumor and a benign lesion such as systemic sarcoidosis or sarcoid reaction. We describe here a case of systemic sarcoidosis that was associated with early gastric cancer. A patient was found to have early gastric cancer (EGC) during routine clinical examination. The chest radiography demonstrated bilateral hilar lymphadenopathy and further examination showed that he had multiple lymphadenopathies. We diagnosed systemic sarcoidosis with EGC because of the elevated serum ACE-I, the chest CT findings and the pathological analysis. We performed endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) for EGC, and there was no local recurrence and distant metastasis for eighteen months. These findings suggest that the possibility of systemic sarcoidosis should be considered in cases with established malignancy and multiple lymphadenopathies.
Humans ; Lymphatic Diseases ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Recurrence ; Sarcoidosis ; Stomach Neoplasms ; Thorax

Human parvovirus B19 infection could be manifested as pure red cell aplasia or chronic anemia in immunocompromised host. The patient was 35-year-old female who had been diagnosed as non-Hodgkin lymphoma, peripheral T-cell unspecified type and had been performed chemotherapy. She complained headache and dizziness that was found to a marked drop in hemoglobin (3.2g/dL). A bone marrow aspiration revealed findings consistent with erythroid hypoplasia with maturation arrest. Serum parvovirus B19 PCR and anti parvovirus B19 IgM were positive. After immunoglobulin therapy, it was leading to a marked increase in reticulocyte count and corresponding rise in hemoglobin. To our knowledge, this is the first report to use immunoglobulin in an adult cancer patient with pure red-cell aplasia. Human parvovirus B19 infection should be considered in immunocompromised cancer patients with red cell aplasia and early use of immunoglobulins would be helpful in resolution of anemia and not to delay planned chemotherapy.
Adult ; Anemia ; Bone Marrow ; Dizziness ; Drug Therapy ; Female ; Headache ; Humans ; Immunization, Passive* ; Immunocompromised Host ; Immunoglobulin M ; Immunoglobulins* ; Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin ; Parvovirus B19, Human ; Parvovirus* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Red-Cell Aplasia, Pure* ; Reticulocyte Count ; T-Lymphocytes

No abstract available.
Adult* ; Humans ; Osteomalacia*

A-61-year-old COPD patient was hospitalized due to dyspnea and was diagnosed with acute exacerbation of COPD. During the hospital stay, the patient's dyspnea was aggravated by massive spontaneous subcutaneous emphysema. Multiple 16 gauge intravenous catheters were inserted at the midclavicular line for drainage. Although subcutaneous catheter drainage was carried out, respiratory failure developed with an increased in massive subcutaneous emphysema. Continuous suction drainage with wall suction was applied resulting in the rapid resolution of the subcutaneous emphysema. We report a case of the that effective management of massive subcutaneous emphysema using multiple 16 gauge intravenous catheters with continuous suction.
Catheters* ; Drainage ; Dyspnea ; Humans ; Length of Stay ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive ; Respiratory Insufficiency ; Subcutaneous Emphysema* ; Suction*

No abstract available.
Diabetic Retinopathy ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Photography

Acute pancreatitis may complicate viral hepatitis B, as well as the other causes of viral hepatitis. There have been reports of acute pancreatitis complicating acute exacerbations of chronic hepatitis B virus infection, most of which were related to immunosuppressive treatment or organ transplantation. However, acute pancreatitis complicating spontaneous acute exacerbation of chronic hepatitis B virus infection is rare. We report a case of acute pancreatitis that developed while a spontaneous acute exacerbation of chronic hepatitis B virus infection was underway in a healthy carrier.
Hepatitis ; Hepatitis B ; Hepatitis B, Chronic ; Hepatitis, Chronic ; Organ Transplantation ; Pancreatitis ; Transplants ; Viruses

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is commonly diagnosed using the semi-quantitative grading and staging system proposed by Brunt et al. in 1999. The Pathology Committee of the NASH established the nonalcoholic fatty liver diseases (NAFLD) activity score (NAS) in 2005. The aim of this study was to elucidate the validity and reliability of the NAS in Korean NAFLD patients. METHODS: Fifty-six patients on whom sonography-guided liver biopsy for well-defined NAFLD was performed between 1999 and 2007 were identified retrospectively. Two pathologists evaluated each biopsy sample. NAFLD was evaluated using both the grading system developed by Brunt et al. and the NAS. Each pathologist was blinded to the patients' clinical data and scored independently. We evaluated the body mass index (BMI), liver enzymes, lipid profile, peripheral insulin resistance, leptin, insulin/c-peptide ratio, ferritin, and fasting blood glucose. RESULTS: The patients were aged 32.1+/-12.5 years (mean+/-SD) and comprised 44 males (78.6%). Patients with different grades at the two grading systems had mild steatosis or ballooning changes with fibrosis, and 36.6% of them were borderline cases (NAS of 3 or 4). The interobserver agreement on diagnostic category was 0.748 (P<0.001) for the NAS (using weighted kappa statistics). Elevated fasting glucose, ALT, and triglyceride were associated with the NAS. CONCLUSIONS: The simple and reproducible NAS was found to be a useful pathologic grading system in Korean NAFLD patients. However, the proportion of borderline cases based on the NAS was high. The "wait and see" strategy is necessary for evaluating the long-term prognosis.
Adult ; Alanine Transaminase/blood ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Blood Glucose/analysis ; Fatty Liver/*pathology/ultrasonography ; Female ; Ferritins/blood ; Fibrosis ; Humans ; Insulin Resistance ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Reproducibility of Results ; Republic of Korea ; Retrospective Studies ; *Severity of Illness Index ; Triglycerides/blood ; Validation Studies as Topic

PURPOSE: To analyze the survival outcomes and prognostic factors in glioblastoma patients treated with surgery and radiation therapy. MATERIALS AND MEHTODS: One hundred twenty glioblastoma patients treated with postoperative radiation therapy from 1994 to 2003 at Samsung Medical Center were retrospectively reviewed. Surgical extents were gross total resection in 22 patients (18%), subtotal resection in 69 (58%), and biopsy only in 29 (24%). The median radiation dose was 60 Gy, ranging from 45 Gy to 72 Gy. The median follow-up period was 12 months ranging from 2 to 62 months. RESULTS: The overall 1- and 2-year survival rates were 52% and 14%, respectively, and the median survival duration was 13 months. Favorable prognostic factors by Uunivariate analyses of prognostic factors on 1-year survival rate wererevealed that age under 50 (p<0.01), ECOG performance status 0 or 1 (p=0.03), single lesion (p=0.02), and gross total resection (p=0.04), were the favorable prognostic factors. and by Mmultivariate analyses wererevealed that female (p<0.01), age under 50 (p<0.01), ECOG performance status 0 or 1 (p=0.05) and gross total resection (p=0.05) were the favorable prognostic factors. CONCLUSIONS: The results of our study were comparable with those previously reported. To improve treatment outcome, various modifications, including radiation dose escalation through newer radiation therapy techniques and use of effective chemotherapy regimen, should be further investigated. investigated. Also Furthermore, the application of individualized treatment strategy based on the patient's' prognostic factors might be needed.
Biopsy ; Drug Therapy ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Glioblastoma* ; Humans ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate ; Treatment Outcome

PURPOSE: To report the early results of preopeartive concurrent radio-chemotherapy (CRCT) for treating rectal cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From June 1999 to April 2002, 40 rectal cancer patients who either had lesions with a questionable resectability or were candidates for sphincter-sacrificing surgery received preoperative CRCT. Thirty-seven patients completed the planned CRCT course. 45 Gy by 1.8 Gy daily fraction over 5 weeks was delivered to the whole pelvis in the prone position. The chemotherapy regimens were oral UFT plus oral leucovorin (LV) in 12 patients, intravenous bolus 5-FU plus LV in 10 patients, and intravenous 5-FU alone in 15 patients (bolus infusion in 10, continuous infusion in 5). Surgery was planned in 4~6 weeks of the completion of the preoperative CRCT course, and surgery was attempted in 35 patients. RESULTS: The compliance to the current preoperative CRCT protocol was excellent, where 92.5% (37/40) completed the planned treatment. Among 35 patients, in whom surgery was attempted after excluding two patients with new metastatic lesions in the liver and the lung, sphincter-preservation was achieved in 22 patients (62.9%), while resection was abandoned during laparotomy in two patients (5.7%). Gross complete resection was performed in 30 patients, gross incomplete resection was performed in one patient, and no detailed information on the extent of surgery was available in two patients. Based on the surgical and pathological findings, the down-staging rate was 45.5% (15/33), and the complete resection rate with the negative resection margin 78.8% (26/33). During the CRCT course, grade 3~4 neutropenia developed in four patients (10.8%). Local recurrence after surgical resection developed in 12.1% (4/33), and distant metastases after the preoperative CRCT start developed in 21.6% (8/37). The overall 3-years survival rate was 87%. CONCLUSION: Preoperative CRCT in locally advanced rectal cancer is well tolerated and can lead to high resection rate, down-staging rate, sphincter preservation rate, however, longer term follow-up will be necessary to confirm these results.
Compliance ; Drug Therapy ; Fluorouracil ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Laparotomy ; Leucovorin ; Liver ; Lung ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Neutropenia ; Pelvis ; Prone Position ; Rectal Neoplasms* ; Recurrence ; Survival Rate